CLEVELAND, Ohio — A powerful lake-effect snowstorm is hitting Northeast Ohio on Thanksgiving, threatening holiday travel with whiteout conditions , wind gusts up to 50 mph and more than a foot of snow across the region’s snowbelt.

Snowfall rates up to 1 inch per hour are possible, the National Weather Service said Thursday morning.

Heavy lake-effect bands fueled by a strong low-pressure system over the northern Great Lakes are dropping 12 to 15 inches of snow in Lake County south of I-90, far eastern Cuyahoga County and northern Geauga County through Friday evening, National Weather Service forecasters say Thursday morning.

Across the broader snowbelt — including inland Erie County, Pennsylvania — totals of 8 to 15 inches are occurring, with some areas potentially exceeding 18 inches

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